Meet
Jimmy Randolph
Jimmy
Randolph
When
Jimmy Randolph started school, his parents and teachers began to notice
that he had a difficult time making
friends and was prone to sudden and often unexplained angry outbursts.
In first grade, the school guidance counselor referred the
family to the local mental health center where he was diagnosed as
having an emotional disorder. In school, Jimmy was
assigned to a resource room to provide him with the best possible
learning environment. His resource teacher works with him on
behavior and has incorporated a system of contracts and rewards to help
Jimmy learn appropriate boundaries.
Jimmy also attends counseling sessions with a therapist. He is
sometimes embarrassed about his meetings at the Cleary
Street Mental Health Center, but he does talk with his friends about
what he does there and the help his counselor gives him
and his parents. Jimmy explains,
"Marlene is my counselor. I have to go every single Tuesday to talk
about my problems and
stuff... Marlene is real nice.”
Children who don’t know Jimmy have a difficult time understanding him.
Since his behavior can be inconsistent, they often don’t know how to
react.
Sometimes Jimmy is friendly, calm and caring, and other times he can be
distant or loud or verbally abusive. It is the inconsistent timing and
randomness in which all of these behaviors manifest themselves that can
confuse his friends. Jimmy talks with his friends about his emotional
difficulties and shares a variety of strategies that teachers have
taught him to pay attention in school, behave appropriately, and
develop and retain friendships.
Jimmy is featured in The Kids on the Block Program on Emotional &
Behavioral Disorder.
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1982, 2008. The Kids on the Block, Inc.
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